Sid was on a corner, arms crossed and legs apart, glaring at the roundabout. Charlotte found a dark spot between shops and waited. She was making a habit of skulking around in dark places. Possibly not the best thing to do when the town police officer was looking for any opportunity to make her life difficult.
Darcy finished measuring and waited as Jonas completed his phone call, making some notes on a pad. Did he know some of the townsfolk, including the man near him, thought he and his lovely family responsible for the tree thefts? If he did, how could he be so calm? Charlotte was angry on his behalf.
Off the phone, Jonas listened to whatever Darcy said. He shook his head. Now Terrance joined in, a bit more subtle with his response but still not exactly friendly. At no point was the conversation heated, but Charlotte read the signs. They wanted him to drop his price. She wanted to stride onto the roundabout and take over negotiations.
Behave. This isn’t your fight.
But in some ways, it was. Charlotte’s sense of right and wrong had got her in trouble from the first year of school. She’d jump in and stand up and protect until she was exhausted and beaten down and sad. It never stopped her though. Sometimes people needed a champion.
As voices rose, snippets made it to Charlotte.
“Too expensive.” From Jonas.
“Be community minded.” Terrance.
“Family to feed.” Darcy. “New baby almost here.”
“Not our problem.” Jonas.
Charlotte’s fingers had closed into tight balls and she forced them open again before the tension pushed her into action.
Darcy closed his notepad and shook his head.
Jonas stormed off, straight to Sid. They turned away from the roundabout in agitated conversation, but it was too far for Charlotte to hear. Darcy’s shoulders had slumped. Her heart went out to him. What a difficult situation, when you need to sell but can’t afford to take a big hit on the price.
She narrowed her eyes as she looked back at the corner. Sid and Jonas had turned around again to look at Darcy. They still muttered to each other, but their body language gave away some agreement. Then, Sid patted Jonas’ shoulder.
Darcy straightened when Jonas returned to the roundabout. This time, Jonas held out his hand to shake and after a hesitant moment, Darcy took it.
Sid was gone. Charlotte had no idea where he went but he’d virtually melted into the dark. No sign of his car. Jonas and Terrance climbed into their respective cars and drove off in different directions, leaving Darcy to do another measure. Charlotte emerged from her spot.
“Hi, Darcy.” She crossed the road and he looked up with surprise that turned into a smile.
“Didn’t see you there. How’s the tree?”
“Enjoying a bit of shade and lots of sun and water. I think it might just grow up.”
“Sorry you paid for it.”
“Are you kidding? I’m a sucker for turning broken into whole.” Charlotte said. “Are you replacing the tree here?”
Utter relief crossed his face and he nodded. “After a bit of negotiation, yes. I understand the council isn’t made of money, but nor am I. For a job this big I must hire someone to help fell the tree, help with transport, and then erect it safely here.”
“Where they trying to get a big discount?”
“Apparently I should have donated it. And then they offered quarter what my cost will be.”
“But they changed their minds?”
“Still not full price, but I’ll make a little bit.” Darcy tossed the tape measure and notepad into his car. “Much as it pains us to hear about the break-ins recently, I’m mighty thankful people have chosen to replace their trees with one of ours.”
Charlotte smiled. “I imagine children aren’t the cheapest people to live with.”
He laughed; his face happier than she’d seen all night. “We get there. Just hoping to make enough to cover the outstanding rates on the farm, and then enough for some new wood turning tools. Trained as a carpenter and figured I might start making furniture from some of the trees we sell.”
“Nothing like locally made furniture. I’d buy it. Maybe people could return their used trees for recycling?”
Darcy’s eyes lit up. “Never thought of that. I could keep a bit aside from each sale and give them something when they come back.”
“Or add a little extra and keep that.”
“Are you a business manager? I could use someone, for sure.”
“Nope. But I have a head full of ideas which are generally quite useless, so don’t expect the next gem to be valuable. Goodnight.” Charlotte grinned and stepped off the roundabout.
“Night.”
Darcy tooted as he passed her a couple of minutes later and she waved. There was no way Darcy was involved in any wrongdoing. He had plans. They were hard working, good people with good values.
Only one thing made her wonder. He’d mentioned council rates. Outstanding ones. If the Christmas Tree farm was under threat of repossession, it might be enough to drive a person to make bad decisions. Sometimes the risk might seem worth it.
Chapter Twenty
The view from the lookout at dawn was worth the climb. After a night of restless sleep, Charlotte decided to burn off the excess energy by retracing her steps from the other night. It was just light enough to avoid needing a flashlight when she’d followed the path from the main road, and the higher she got, the brighter the sky.
Around her, the air was alive with birdsong, competing against the cascade of the falls. It was a bit unnerving to discover how close she’d been at times to slippery edges and possibly falling by wandering around in the dark. Even though the lookout had a sturdy rail, it didn’t fully surround the area and a person might lose sight of the edge
